LUDINGTON — The winds of public opinion blew in all directions Tuesday in response to a proposed commercial wind farm in the Huron-Manistee National Forest along the Lake Michigan shoreline north of Ludington.

Positive and negative comments, plus some suggested alternatives, were voiced by residents during the open house hosted by the U.S. Forest Service at the Ramada Inn in Ludington. The event drew about 50 people seeking information and offering opinions on the proposed plan that would construct 20 to 28 420-foot-tall turbines on the forest land.

If the project proposed by White Pines Wind Farm LLC, a subsidiary of BP Alternative Energy, gains the necessary approval and is built north of Forest Trail in Mason County's Grant Township, the wind turbines would combine to produce up to 70 megawatts, enough to supply 20,000 homes, officials have said.

"I'm not against alternative energy, but I'm against it going into a pristine forest," said Tom Hansen, who lives in Grant Township and who said he often uses the forest for hunting and fishing.

ANALYSIS TIMELINE

Public Comment: Second open house set for 4-7 p.m. today at the Days Inn, 1462 U.S. 31 in Manistee; Comments also can be issued by phone (231) 723-2211, ext. 3119, via e-mail to comments-eastern-huron-manistee-manistee@fs.fed.us or by mail to Cadillac-Manistee Ranger District, Huron-Manistee National Forests, Attention: Patricia O'Connell, 412 Red Apple Road, Manistee, MI 49660. The deadline for comments is Oct. 12.

Draft Statement: Forest Service spends months analyzing the effects of alternatives to the original proposal and publishes a Draft Environmental Impact Statement in December 2009.

Implementation: If the decision allows it, installation of the wind farm would take eight months and begin in 2010.

Monitoring: The project's implementation and effectiveness would be monitored from 2010 and beyond.

He questioned the proposed locations for the turbines, calling them too close to Lake Michigan and in dunes areas.

"It just doesn't make sense," Hansen said. "For tourists and locals, that's one of the best areas."

John Rogers, a Mason County resident who said he likes to bike and run in the forest, called the proposed wind farm a plus for Michigan and the area.

"It sounds pretty interesting," Rogers said while watching a video showing where the wind turbines would be constructed and what the views would be for forest users. "It doesn't look like too much impact."

Those opinions and others were shared with U.S. Forest Service officials and their wind energy consultants during the open house. Officials will compile the comments and develop alternatives to the initial proposal from BP Alternative Energy.

Jim Thompson, district ranger for the Cadillac Manistee District, said many of the comments he received focused on whether wind turbines are an appropriate use on national forest land, the proximity of the infrastructure to private lands and concerns about building more roads on the site.

"I'm very encouraged by the numbers that have turned out," Thompson said. "It shows an interest in the project."

The White Pines Wind Farm Project would occupy about 75 acres of Forest Service land over its proposed 30-year life. The project proposal states the wind farm is needed to help meet Michigan's and the region's growing demand for reliable sources of clean, cost-effective, renewable energy.

The project is proposing to use the Clipper Class II Liberty Series 2.5 megawatt wind turbines, which are manufactured domestically in Iowa. The wind towers would feature a hub height of 262 feet with three fiberglass blades 153 feet in length.

In addition to the turbines, the project would include:

• About nine miles of road reconstruction and about five miles of new road construction;

• Installation of more than 40 miles of underground electrical interconnections between turbines to collect and deliver electricity to a new substation;

• Construction of an electrical substation on a 5-acre parcel in the forest service area;

• Installation of above ground transmission line to connect the wind farm substation to the existing transmission line running north-south along Quarterline Road;

• At least one of the three 199-foot-tall monitoring towers would remain to collect data.

Stanley Wilkosz, a Grand Haven resident who owns property near the proposed site of the wind farm, said he is concerned about the overall project, especially a proposal that could send overhead power lines through his property.

"What I find with these big companies is they want everything and the private landowner gets screwed over," Wilkosz said.

Bob Williams, a Ludington resident who owns property adjacent to the national forest, said the additional roads will lead to more people accessing the forest land and potentially trespassing on his land.

"One reason we bought (the property) was it's secluded," Williams said. "It's probably a good thing, but I have my doubts. Once you destroy something, it's hard to put it back."

Steve Koster, a consultant from Environmental Resources Management's office in Holland retained by the U.S. Forest Service, said the proposed site has three advantages for a wind farm: location along the Lake Michigan shoreline where the strongest winds are, a large tract of land with one owner for potential agreement and proximity to connection point for the power grid.

Environmental Resources Management's company headquarters are in London and provides oversight for wind-farm projects all over the world.